FSU basketball: Noles upset No. 6 Duke Blue Devils in overtime

FSU basketball (11-5, 5-2 ACC) went toe-to-toe with No. 6 Duke (14-3, 4-2 ACC) Tuesday night for a hard-fought 79-78  overtime win. The Noles played the Blue Devils tough in the first half, winning on the offensive boards and only three turnovers. They had 11 points off of eight Duke turnovers.

They were 4 of 9 from three-point land, with John Butler going 3 of 3 for nine points. Malik Osborne had seven points and four rebounds while coming off the bench with a gimpy ankle. However, Duke shot 59 percent and was 6 of 12 from three-point land, but the final minute of the first half was telling as the Blue Devils opened up a five-point 38-33 halftime lead.

The Noles only shot 38.7 percent overall. FSU did a good job of getting to the rim, but the Duke bigs affected several shots.

The Noles began the second half on a 9-0 run with solid defense and making free throws after attacking the basket. Duke didn’t make their first field goal until nearly three-and-a-half minutes passed.

However, FSU’s energy was high on the offensive boards with a 17-2 advantage, with Duke only scoring four points through the first eight minutes. Nevertheless, FSU was only shooting 31 percent overall and missed all five of their three-point attempts through the 11:55 mark for a 48-43 lead. Anthony Polite gave the Noles a 50-43 lead with 10:47 remaining, but Duke answered with a three-point play on the ensuing possession to cut the lead to 50-46 with 10:11 remaining.

Duke lost guard Trevor Keels with a leg injury after committing a foul, who had a team-high nine points for Duke when he exited the game. Duke cut FSU’s lead to 52-48 with 8:31 remaining on a layup from Jeremy Roach, who replaced Keels. Anthony Polite made FSU’s first three-pointer of the second half to stretch the lead to 57-50 with 7:45 remaining.

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A Caleb Mills jumper pushes the lead to 59-50 with 7:13 remaining, but Duke responded with a three-pointer to cut the lead to 59-53 with 5:44 remaining. However, two free throws from Anthony Polite pushed the lead to 61-53 with 5:18 remaining. FSU got called for a foul on what looked like a clean block, and Duke cut the lead to 61-55 with two free throws. Caleb Mills went to the line with FSU in the double bonus and made two free throws to push the lead to 63-55 with 4:29 remaining.

A huge Duke three-pointer from Paolo Banchero cut the lead to 63-58 with four minutes remaining. FSU missed a three-point shot and fouled Duke on the next possession to send them to the line for a 1-and-1. Duke made the first and missed the second. The teams traded baskets, with FSU holding a four-point lead. However, FSU missed a wide-open three that resulted in a transition alley-oop dunk for Duke to cut the lead to 65-63 with 1:43 remaining.

John Butler missed a shot at point-blank range, and Duke tied the game on their next possession at 65-65 with 1:09 remaining. FSU missed their next shot, and Duke possessed the ball with 39 seconds on the clock and took the lead on a dunk with 30 seconds remaining. However, RayQuan Evans drove to the basket and made a layup high off the glad to tie the game with 1.4 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.

Overtime

Caleb Mills made a three-pointer on FSU’s first possession to give the Noles a 70-67 lead. FSU had an opportunity to stretch the lead but couldn’t convert. Duke scored to cut the lead to 70-69 with 3:48 remaining.

FSU missed a short jump shot on their next possession, and Duke converted on a floater to take the 71-70 lead. However, Caleb Mills scored on a short jumper to put the Noles in front 72-71.

Duke hit a three-pointer to retake the lead 74-72 with 2:16 remaining. Matthew Cleveland scored on a basket to tie the game 74-74. Duke retook the lead 76-74, but Caleb Mills made a three to put the Noles up 77-74. However, FSU fouled Duke, and they made both free throws to retake the lead 78-77 with 36 seconds remaining.

RayQuan Evans got fouled with 12.3 seconds remaining and made both free throws to give the Noles a 79-78 lead. Duke’s last shot got blocked, and the Noles earn a massive win. Coach K takes a loss in his final appearance inside the Tuck!